In my previous letters, I documented the public’s concern regarding mountain lion activity. Since then, on Feb. 12 the California Department of Fish and Wildlife voted in favor of listing mountain lions as an endangered species.
This gives mountain lions the highest protection level. Critically endangered would be the only thing higher. But that would require less than 250 individuals and there’s more than 4,000 mountain lions in the state.
Then on Feb. 19, a family in Fallbrook in San Diego County set a trap to find out what was killing their pets. They trapped a mountain lion and called 911 for help expressing concern for their three young children.
But the lion was released back onto the family’s property. This was the first incident since the endangered listing one week prior.
This sparked a social media defiance and was the breaking point of the public with no way out. We are witnessing a shift away from state-led solutions toward a defiant “shoot, shovel and shut up” policy. This isn’t a lack of respect for the law; it is a response to a law that has no respect for the people.
If a neighbor’s dog kills four pets or livestock in a California backyard, authorities arrive immediately, the dog is removed, and the owner is held 100% liable for all costs.
But when a mountain lion does the same? They call that “coexisting.” Coexisting requires mutual cooperation. In reality, this is “coerced existing.”
By labeling it coexistence, Fish and Wildlife shifts the blame onto the victim for having unprotected pets or livestock, thus avoiding responsibility. Since California has restrictions on how high a fence can be and a mountain lion can jump an 18-foot fence, it makes it very unfair.
If you successfully protect your pet or livestock with the lion still on your property, the children will become the easier prey. When you make it more difficult for the mountain lion to get to your pets or livestock, it will focus on the children playing in the yard.
This victim-blaming approach ignores a terrifying new reality. The state’s history of rare attacks is only because, historically, lions that targeted homes were euthanized before they targeted people.
Today, lions are being habituated to our homes and our families. Once a lion is allowed to remain on your property after killing multiple pets, it loses its fear.
When the system prioritizes mountain lions’ “right” to remain over a family’s safety, it effectively hands the shovel to the community.
Phil Salgado
Morgan Hill
